Non Coding RNA (ncRNA) News and Research

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New class of cancer-driver gene may serve as unique therapeutic targets, biomarkers in TNBC

The discovery of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) has dramatically changed the understanding of the biology of diseases such as cancer. The human genome contains about 20,000 protein-coding genes - less than 2 percent of the total - but 70 percent of the genome is made into non-gene-encoding RNA.

29 Apr 2016

Researchers identify gene crucial to development of coeliac disease

Coeliac disease is a chronic, immunological disease that is manifested as intolerance to gluten proteins present in wheat, rye and barley. This intolerance leads to an inflammatory reaction in the small intestine that hampers the absorption of nutrients. The only treatment is a strict, life-long, gluten-free diet.

11 Apr 2016

Study points to possible new genetic risk factor for celiac disease

Researchers have identified a common variant in a non-coding RNA that may contribute to the intestinal inflammation that occurs in people with celiac disease. The findings point to a possible new risk factor for developing celiac disease in people with celiac disease risk genes.

1 Apr 2016

Deleting microRNA-155 prevents diet-induced obesity in female mice

Researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center seeking a way to combat the growing epidemic of obesity have found that deleting microRNA-155 in female mice prevents diet-induced obesity.

23 Mar 2016

MicroRNA can help combat obesity and diabetes

Obesity, which is associated with low-grade inflammation, is an important contributor in the development of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. While the role of several organs including adipose tissue have been implicated in this process, the cell types and factors driving this process have not been clear.

16 Mar 2016

Newly identified RNA biomarkers open door for simple, accurate non-invasive test for prostate cancer

A study on non-coding RNA (Ribonucleic Acid) from prostate cancer patients has identified a series of new prostate cancer markers which can be found in urine. Combining these RNA markers into a single test potentially opens the door for simple, accurate non-invasive testing for prostate cancer.

14 Mar 2016

Delivering microRNAs in cancer treatment: an interview with Dr Conde and Prof Artzi

microRNAs (miRs) are small endogenous noncoding RNA molecules (20–23 nucleotides) derived from imperfectly paired hairpin RNA structures naturally encoded in the genome that act specifically as triggering molecules to control translational repression or mRNA degradation.

11 Mar 2016

'Junk' DNA suppresses breast cancer

Supposed "junk" DNA, found in between genes, plays a role in suppressing cancer, according to new research by Universities of Bath and Cambridge.

2 Feb 2016

Findings offer potential new therapeutic target to boost strength of heart muscle contractions

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified a previously unrecognized small protein in cells of the human heart that plays a key role in heart muscle contraction. The protein is made from an RNA that was previously believed to be a blank or non-coding RNA, suggesting there may be many other small 'non-coding' segments that play important biological roles.

18 Jan 2016

Novel drug shows promise against metastatic breast cancer in mouse models

12 Jan 2016

Researchers identify new gene that helps maintain chromosome number in cells

Molecular biologists at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified a gene called NORAD that helps maintain the proper number of chromosomes in cells, and that when inactivated, causes the number of chromosomes in a cell to become unstable, a key feature of cancer cells.

26 Dec 2015

Novel drug shows promise in mouse models of human metastatic breast cancer

A doctor treating a patient with a potentially fatal metastatic breast tumor would be very pleased to find, after administering a round of treatment, that the primary tumor had undergone a change in character - from aggressive to static, and no longer shedding cells that can colonize distant organs of the body. Indeed, most patients with breast and other forms of cancer who succumb to the illness do so because of the cancer's unstoppable spread.

23 Dec 2015

Study points to future treatment for post-stroke damage

A study of rats released today shows that blocking a type of RNA produced by what used to be called "junk DNA" can prevent a significant portion of the neural destruction that follows a stroke. The research points toward a future treatment for post-stroke damage, which is often more extensive than the initial destruction that results when blood to the brain is temporarily shut off.

16 Dec 2015

Study reveals pathogenetic role of miR-125a in pulmonary hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension is an umbrella term used for many conditions that all result in elevation of the pulmonary arterial pressure. Of interest, many of these completely different clinical and pathophysiological entities result in a final common pathway of vasoconstriction, micro thrombosis and vascular remodelling.

10 Dec 2015

Bone protein can inhibit prostate cancer metastasis to bone

Scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in collaboration with researchers from University of California campuses at Merced and Davis have found that a secreted protein predominantly expressed in bone inhibits prostate cancer metastasis to bone.

18 Nov 2015

MicroRNA reduces tumor growth, increases cell death in castration-resistant prostate cancer

Researchers at the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center have shown that the microRNA, miR-124, reduced tumor growth and increased cell death in castration-resistant prostate cancer.

17 Nov 2015

How important is a mother’s diet before pregnancy? An interview with Dr Matt Silver

In humans, much is already known about the impact of maternal undernutrition during pregnancy, and its impact on growth, development and disease throughout the life course. However, until recently little was known about the effects of the nutritional environment around the time of conception.

14 Oct 2015

Penn researchers lay groundwork for developing lncRNA-based tools for new cancer treatment

Growing insights about a significant, yet poorly understood, part of the genome - the "dark matter of DNA" -- have fundamentally changed the way scientists approach the study of diseases.

13 Oct 2015

New study finds that serum miRNA profiles change as myeloma progresses

Virtually all patients who develop myeloma have an asymptomatic disease called monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) in the years before the onset of myeloma. The five-year relative survival rate for myeloma is 69% for patients diagnosed with stage I or localized disease, compared with 45% for patients with advanced cancer.

30 Sep 2015

GENFIT develops reliable, non-invasive diagnostic tool for NASH patients

GENFIT, a biopharmaceutical company at the forefront of developing therapeutic and diagnostic solutions in metabolic and inflammatory diseases, that notably affect the liver or the gastrointestinal system, today announces the development of a new reliable and non-invasive diagnostic method, based on the measurement of a novel type of blood biomarker: small non-coding RNA, or miRNA.

16 Sep 2015